From Boarding Schools to Boardrooms: The Journey of Soraka S Alkhatib
At Leader’s Mic, we believe in showing the human behind the title—the person behind the authority. In our latest session, we welcomed Soraka Alkhatib, a leader whose career has spanned engineering, real estate, entrepreneurship, government, and consultancy. His journey is one of curiosity, reinvention, and a constant search for purpose.
From the very start of the conversation, Soraka reflected on the vulnerability and openness that Leader’s Mic creates. “This is the beauty of the Leader’s Mic,” he said. “You really see the person behind the leader.”
Early Life: Independence and Resilience
Born into a family rooted in diplomacy, scholarship, and faith, Soraka grew up between Makkah and Madinah, raised with a deep sense of values. His childhood took a defining turn when he and his two brothers were sent to boarding school at a young age.
Living away from home in Egypt taught them independence, resilience, and the importance of sticking together. “We knew we had each other—that was the only way to survive,” he recalled.
Engineering Roots, Business Calling
Although he initially pursued computer engineering, Soraka felt a pull toward the world of business. His first role at Procter & Gamble (P&G) was a turning point: it exposed him to leadership principles, structured career paths, and the importance of mentorship. Yet even as he excelled, he kept asking himself, What’s next?
Reading, networking, and learning became his tools for growth. An article about “job surfing” inspired him to explore new challenges beyond linear career paths. This mindset led him from engineering to real estate, where he built entire departments from scratch and began shaping his own leadership style.
The Power of Reinvention
Over the years, Soraka developed a reputation for building “muscles”, skills, and systems in new industries and environments. He moved from P&G to SCO, then to JLL, and later co-founded several media ventures such as Uturn and Fullstop. He helped transform these startups into structured, investment-ready organizations, attracting top investors and international partnerships.
Despite successes, Soraka kept challenging himself. He turned down high-paying, prestigious offers when they felt too narrow, choosing instead roles that would broaden his perspective, like his move to NCB to develop Saudi Arabia’s mortgage finance products from the ground up.
Serving the Nation’s Transformation
Eventually, his path led him to government and consultancy. As Director General overseeing public-private partnerships, he gained a front-row seat to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation. Later, with McKinsey (after its acquisition of Exir), he worked across ministries, helping implement ambitious programs and policies at scale.
This period deepened his belief in purpose-driven leadership. “It’s not about the monetary value,” he said. “The question is always: what’s the impact you’re creating?”
The Corporate Nomad and a New Mission
Looking back, Soraka describes himself as a “corporate nomad”, someone who thrives on transformation, entrepreneurship, and destination marketing, blending experiences from different sectors into one vision.
Today, his focus is on helping Gen Z cross the chasm between screen-based lives and real-world connection. As CEO of the Science Discovery and Innovation Center, he began reimagining the role of museums post-pandemic as social and cultural hubs that inspire curiosity and innovation.
Now, he’s writing three books, including The Person Behind the Mirror and The Birth of the Avatar, which explore how technology shapes identity and how individuals can rediscover their authentic selves. He is also calling for a global “Earth Reflection Day,” a day for people to disconnect from technology to reflect, reconnect, and remember who they are beyond their digital avatars.
Leadership Lessons: The Seven Commandments
Soraka distilled his decades of experience into “Seven Commandments” of leadership—a roadmap he gave to his son upon graduation. These include:
Life is a journey of stations: Think in 3-to-5-year horizons, not forever plans.
Be a person of action: You don’t need all the answers—just take the next step.
Decisions require sacrifice: Real decisions are about what you let go, not what you keep.
Leadership is responsibility: It’s about serving a cause, not holding authority.
Find your purpose: Move beyond pleasure and passion to purpose for lasting fulfillment.
Stay grounded in values: Anchor yourself in faith and integrity.
Trust timing: Even setbacks may be blessings in disguise.
Through his story, Soraka reminds us that leadership is less about titles and more about constant learning, adaptation, and service to a larger purpose.
Make sure to catch the full episode on our YouTube channel and other platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Anghami.
